Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-01-04
WITTR0CK'S WANDERINGS
THE BOLD EXPRESS ROBBER MAR
RATES his ADVENTURES.

How He Got Away After Capturing the
Booty-Got More Than He Wanted-A
Solemn Declaration of Fotheringham's
Innocence-Pinkerton Feeling Happy
Enough to Talk to Reporters.
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 3-Robert Pinkerton ar-
rived here Saturday morning, having in
charge Fred Wittrock, the express robbor,
who was transferred at once to the Four
Courts and locked up To United Press
reporter Wittrock related his story of the
robbery, substantially as follows: 81 boarded
the train at the depot and presented the let
ters to Fotheringham. | was on the train
when it was stopped by the rock on the
track, but it was not good place TO get of.
| left it ct a crossing this side Of Pacific,
No, and walked about eight or ten miles
across the country to the Missouri river,
where ! had skiff waiting l reached the
river before daylight, aud came down about
eight miles to a sand bar | ate my break
fast on the sand-bar, and about noon the next
day passed St Charles l left the boat be-
low St Charles and walked across the coun-
try about ten miles to ST. Peters, where
took train to Louisiana, No. | arrived
there about midnight and left the next after.
noon, going from there TO Kansas City.
staid at Kansas City five or six weeks. | did
not stop at Cooks. | was laid up with rheu-
matism caught while in the boat and on the
sand bars.
About Dec. 3 l started south and went to
Savannah, Ga, and loafe1 around there a
couple of weeks l went through Vicksburg
and Atlanta Then | came back to Chicago
and was arrested
Wittrock was very sef-possesssd He de-
clares Fotheringham is perfectly innocent
and says that he (Wittrock) did not care tC
get so much money as he did-S12, 900 wa:
all he really wanted. Weaver and Haigh
both were brought to the city Saturday ant
now occupy cells at the -Four Courts.
Mr.. Pinkerton was feeling particularly
happy and was very pleasant to reporters
He said there may vet be two more arrests il
Leavenworth; that all persons connected witt
the robbery would be prosecuted to the end;
declined an opinion as to the guilt or innocence,
of the messenger Fotheringham; but said tht
matter would probably be settled as to Foth
eringham shortly.
Mr.. Pinkerton added: ave have nearly
completed the work now, and have turned III
the larger part of the money-ahout $50, ,On
We have not added up all our finds, but thes
figures are pretty nearly correct There ar
still s., ,051 or $1,000 out, and we expect to IT
cover the greater part of it. My brothe
Billy and some OF our agents are looking tina
up now. So, you see, the express compan
is not such a heavy loser, after all Tn
of ba a.
Oscar Cooks house
The Pmkerton operatives found some 0
the stolen money in grave yard on the out
skirts of Leavenworth. Among the othe
| treasures was letter addressed 10 the elito
OF a morning paper in this city. The lette
| makes a complete expose of the Frisco ex
press robbery, and Cummings is very EN-
phatic in declaring Fotheringham TO hay
had no connection IN guilty manner wit
| the robbery. He says;
| Now, will tell you, Mr. Editor, how
h, was Fotheringham came to be tied with
| silk handkerchief instead of q strap or twint
| When the job was first put up | had fixed O
| holding up the smallest man Of the four tha
run ON that road, and | found out that hi
name was Hart, George or Joe, l forge
which. Now, on the Wednesday night be
| fore tho Monday night on which the robber
| took place. | was all ready to rush the letter
on thai man Hart. but that porter Rename,
/ in the car until the train was in motion SO
| didn't have a chance to try the letter. Til
| next night would have tried it on FotheI
| ingham. but did not know his name an,
| Friday my partner commenced to weaker
and tried to stiffen him, but 1t was no usa
! Now, in the package left in the Union depu
| you will find the strap which was made ez
| pressly for Mr. Hart and be can thank tha
porter for staying in his car that Wednesda,
| night, or he would be laying up there in tn
| Four Courts instead of Fotheringham. The
letter concludes: l had always been taught
| when | WAS kid, that there was a Suprem
| power that run this earth and all things upo
| 1t, and still believe that such a power ex
lists and hereby declare that | hope tha
that power or Supreme Being may paralyzt
me in every limb in my body and make tn
balance of my life on this earth one of ever
lasting pain, if that man-David Fotharing
ham, the messenger-is not innocent of an
| connection in guilty manner with the tran
robbery which occurred Oct s., 1856, in hi
car on the st. Louis & San Francisco rail
| road Yours truly, JIM CUMMINGS